Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 122 I, Gu Tingye, am back!
Red lacquered copper rings, gilded heads.

The copper bells on the eaves swayed gently, and the wind swept across the threshold. The gilded characters "Ningyuan Marquis's Residence" on the plaque under the eaves were very majestic and imposing.

"Squeak~!"

The vermilion-lacquered door was pushed open.

"Who is it?" The servants guarding the middle gate were startled and quickly looked around.

This lacquered door with the plaque is the central door.

The central gate is the main entrance, symbolizing the family's prestige and inviolability.

Generally speaking, the middle door is usually closed and not left open.

The central gate is only opened on special occasions such as when distinguished guests visit, weddings or funerals, festivals or ceremonies, or when the master travels.

Even the mistress of the Marquis's mansion, Madam Qin, usually could not enter or leave the mansion through the main gate, but rather through the side gate.

For servants, the passage was through side gates and small gates.

If a servant went through the wrong door and dared to enter through the main gate, he could be considered to have overstepped his bounds and might even be beaten to death.

In feudal times, social hierarchy was strict, and the routes one took for travel were one of the manifestations of this hierarchy.

The rules are nothing more than the father being the head of the family and the husband being the head of the family.

Therefore, in the vast Ningyuan Marquis's mansion, only when the old Marquis Gu Yankai was attending and leaving court for a few quarters of an hour would servants specially open the main gate to provide for his companions.

However, at that moment, someone actually pushed open the front door!
The servants were terrified, fearing they had made a grave mistake by allowing someone who shouldn't have used the main gate to do so.

One glance is enough to make one take a surprise.

The person outside the door was quite unexpected.

A burly man pushed open the central door, stepped aside, and what came into view was a young man dressed in a scarlet official robe.

The young man stood with his hands behind his back, his demeanor composed, and his brows exuded a heroic spirit.

His official robes added to his imposing presence, making people feel awe.

The group quickly bowed in unison: "Second Young Master."

If it wasn't Gu Tingye, then who was it?
Gu Tingye nodded lightly and waved his hand, saying, "No need for formalities."

The men accepted the gifts, but one of them hesitated, asking, "Second Young Master, what about the central gate?"

By conventional standards, Gu Tingye was undoubtedly very capable.

A powerful fifth-rank general in his early twenties, with experience in expanding territories, he was destined to be one of the leading figures of the next generation of military nobles.

A son of a general!

A prodigal son returns!

If you don't call it, it's a blockbuster!
These words perfectly describe him.

A once dissolute young man, after repenting and rising to prominence, naturally became the subject of much praise.

Since Gu Tingye began expanding his territory, there have been some new interpretations of the lives of officials' wives and noblewomen.

Dormant!

After all, even though Gu Tingye appears to be a playboy, his abilities are still traceable.

Bianjing's undisputed number one polo player is a testament to his exceptional skill.

After lying low for more than a decade, he entered the border region and began to expand the territory.

In any case, no matter how it's circulated, it tends to be positive.

However, no matter how powerful he is, Gu Tingye cannot enter through the middle gate!
The father is the head of the family.

As long as the old Marquis is alive, the second son cannot enter through the middle gate.

Of course, if a new prefecture is established, that would be a different story.

"I'm going through this middle gate."

Gu Tingye understood the servant's unspoken meaning and waved his hand dismissively.

How many rebellious things has he done?

The servant was startled. Knowing he couldn't disobey Gu Tingye, he quickly ran back into the mansion to report.

Gu Tingye put his hands behind his back, took a step inside, closed his eyes, and sighed deeply.

He took more than twenty years to take this step!
From a young age, his older brother Gu Tingyu often targeted him, his father Gu Yankai often scolded him, and the scoundrels from the fourth and fifth branches of the family frequently went out to brothels, and all the blame was placed on him.

With the opening of the Xihe border, the father and son spent a considerable amount of time alone together, and worked together to stabilize the territory of Hezhou, which improved their relationship considerably.

But, eldest brother, fourth wife, fifth wife!
Gu Tingye snorted coldly.

After several years of hard work, he is no longer a fool who can be manipulated by others!

Based on his early actions, even if he did exhibit some dissolute behavior, he certainly wouldn't have been so infamous throughout the capital. It should be noted that even the young master of the Qi State Duke's mansion, renowned for his looks, might not be as infamous as him.

Someone must be behind this!

Who else could it be but the older brother?
Gu Tingye walked slowly, taking a full ten breaths to cover a distance of just over ten steps.

A short while later, Madam Qin, Gu Tingyu, and his wife, Madam Shao, came out one after another.

The middle door is wide open!

Gu Tingyu's expression changed slightly, and he scolded in a reprimanding tone, "Second Brother, cough cough..."

Perhaps out of impatience, Gu Tingyu coughed several times, forcing Madam Shao to support her husband.

"Erlang, you're back." Madam Qin held a handkerchief, her face beaming with joy, and called out softly.

Compared to Gu Tingyu's reprimands, Xiao Qinshi's gentleness was worlds apart.

Even the arrogant Gu Tingye couldn't help but be moved.

In this vast mansion, only his mother, Madam Qin, truly cared for him.

The eldest brother and those scoundrels from the fourth and fifth wives' families—it would be a great blessing if they didn't even bother to target him, let alone care about him.

The old father, Gu Yankai, softened his attitude only after seeing that his son had become a capable man.

Only Xiao Qinshi's mother remained steadfast, and her virtuous reputation spread far and wide.

"Erlang, what are you doing?" Gu Tingyu coughed until his face turned red, but he finally calmed down and shouted loudly.

Gu Tingyu had no choice but to reprimand him.

The main thing is that Gu Tingye has truly become a talent!

As the eldest son, he naturally felt uneasy and had no choice but to sternly suppress the anger.

In fact, when it comes to intelligence and scheming, Gu Tingye is no match for him.

However, his health was too poor to venture out into the world.

In contrast, Gu Tingye had the protection of his official position and enjoyed the emperor's deep trust.

In the context of power struggles within a family, official positions are always a game of cat and mouse!
No matter how much he sets up a scheme, it will be difficult to influence what happens outside the Ningyuan Marquis's residence.

However, for Gu Tingye, the Ningyuan Marquis's residence was merely a place to stay.

just in case
What if Gu Tingye wants to fight for the right to inherit the marquisate?

Gu Tingyu had been targeting Gu Tingye since childhood, but Gu Tingye suddenly became a capable man, which made Gu Tingyu uneasy.

Gu Tingye glanced at his older brother indifferently, then raised his head and said slowly, "Big brother, I'm back!"

Are you panicking?

The last time the emperor bestowed honors, the time between his arrival in and departure from the capital was only a little over ten days.

Therefore, he didn't even have a chance to put pressure on his older brother.

This time, it's different.

Jiang Zhao, a close friend, had already received a secret letter from the Emperor, ordering him to go to the capital to serve as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

This indicates that the group will stay in the capital for a considerable period of time.

Therefore, he naturally had to make some high-profile announcements.

He, Gu Tingye, is back!
Moreover, he not only wanted to spread the word to the Marquis's mansion, but also to the nobles!
In the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion, who will be the next generation to succeed and take charge?
He also wants to fight for the title of Marquis of Ningyuan!
Gu Tingye raised his head and looked at his older brother with a calm expression.

In previous years, he was known as a playboy. He had great skills but no opportunity to use them and could not see the day when he would rise to prominence.

But Heaven took pity on him, and while on his way to Huaizuo to attend a funeral, he unexpectedly met Jiang Zhao.

From then on, his life trajectory changed dramatically, and he rose to prominence, expanding his territory.

Previously, he had no chance to fight for it.

This time, he's going to fight for it!
Not for any other reason than to make my older brother feel bad.

He wants to get back at the discrimination he suffered since childhood.

Gu Tingyu's expression changed slightly.

With his intelligence, he could naturally guess some of the possible events from the second brother's tone and his proud demeanor.

How can this be allowed?

He's the eldest son!

……

(End of this chapter)